Selling to the USA

[Oakdale Studios]

Hi, I am looking for a little help and advice please with exporting Gold plated acorns to America.........other Countries to follow.

I have a commodity code/TARIC code of 96020000 provided to me from the U.K. Customs and Excise Dept. They also say that there are no problems with exporting my acorns to anywhere outside the UK. So that's all fine and dandy, I can post singles or bulk.

The US Customs and Border Protection have this to say “Once the oven dried process has been completed in the United Kingdom you will not need a permit from the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service Plants and Plant Products Permitting Branch", so that's OK too.

The FDA Food and Drug Administration say pretty much the same, yippe-do-dah-day.

What I am getting problems with is that both US agencies saying that the importer in the US will have to employ the services (with their $ costs) of a Customs Broker in either Boston or New York as the preferred port of entry and will have to then contact an Import Spe******t for Curios and trinkets etc. to confirm that it’s OK to import the Gold plated acorns.

I think that I could post them out to individuals, although I should get a "letter of intent" first but that seems like a lengthy process and would they have to pay duty on them too?, what I am looking for is an outlet over there ( I have two in mind ) that can post them freely to customers in America as they have already had clearance.

So the question is; is there an easier way round all this that I can do from England or is it a process that my potential American importer will have to go through at their own expense?
I need something in writing to put on my product packaging so American customers/importers can buy with confidence that everything is OK and the acorn won't be taken away and destroyed.

My guess is that I will have to take the long route

Thanks in anticipation

I don't know why the word S p e c i a l i s t is greeked out?

Vik

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[StefC]

I can't help with your customs problem, but I have always wondered about that word too!

I hope you find a knowledgeable bod who can help!

[Oakdale Studios]

I can't help with your customs problem, but I have always wondered about that word too!

I hope you find a knowledgeable bod who can help!

I suppose it's a bit like the definition of expert............ex is a has-been and a spurt is a drip under pressure

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[Christa]

Can't help with the dilemma but That word gets blanked because from the c to the s it forms the name of a brand of meds used for certain 'medical difficulties'

[StefC]

Oh?? Thanks! Now I have something to Google

[Oakdale Studios]

Can't help with the dilemma but That word gets blanked because from the c to the s it forms the name of a brand of meds used for certain 'medical difficulties'

Hahahahaha........ But it doesn't help me with my difficulties though

[Removed content]

My advice would be to ship to individuals and declare the item as a gift (even if they paid for it). When single items are being received in to most countries they are unlikely to be examined by customs if declared as a gift. If it was examined and the acorn was seen to be gold plated, it would unlikely to be thought as a plant seed. You could include a statement with the item to say that the acorn is now inert due to the processing to plate it. This should work out far cheaper than employing an agent.

About 30 years ago I imported some Chinese wheat straw pictures in to the UK. These were basically collages made out of flattened straw. HM Customs and Excise had a problem classifying them. They were not treated as pictures, but a food stuff, even though you could not eat them. Talk about civil servants making a mountain out of a molehill - it took over 6 months to resolve.

Roger

[Oakdale Studios]

My advice would be to ship to individuals and declare the item as a gift (even if they paid for it). When single items are being received in to most countries they are unlikely to be examined by customs if declared as a gift. If it was examined and the acorn was seen to be gold plated, it would unlikely to be thought as a plant seed. You could include a statement with the item to say that the acorn is now inert due to the processing to plate it. This should work out far cheaper than employing an agent.

About 30 years ago I imported some Chinese wheat straw pictures in to the UK. These were basically collages made out of flattened straw. HM Customs and Excise had a problem classifying them. They were not treated as pictures, but a food stuff, even though you could not eat them. Talk about civil servants making a mountain out of a molehill - it took over 6 months to resolve.

Roger

Thank you for the prompt reply Roger.

I am not only selling these acorns for myself I am also selling an amount for a charity, so everything has to be "legal" as I don't want to place them in an embarrassing situation and also lose the contract.

I have the "OK" almost sorted, it's the importers side of things that need sorting out still.

The charity does have outlets in other countries so perhaps they will take on this enquirey. I just would have liked to sort this out for them as part of the package.

A friend of mine is on the case and also has relatives over there looking into it, I just thought I'd ask on here too.

Thanks again Roger

Vik

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[AnnieAnna]

I can answer one bit of your question. Each state in the US has it's own import duties or taxes (like our VAT). It's up to your customer to pay it. Not you. So if you are feeling kind put a polite sentence/disclaimer in your terms and conditions to warn them.

I'd be tempted to argue back with anyone saying it's a plant. The regulations are their to stop bugs and diseases moving from one country to another. Your acorns are so ex -plants. Anything to do with them must be dead after all the processes you put them through! Surely they are jewellery or metal ornaments. Can you dig out some exporters/importers of plated leaves and ask how they are handling it?

Can I also say I'm bringing in baskets made of reeds/leaves from Peru and we have plant rules too but customs seem very happy that anything on my baskets are very dead. (My last parcel had been opened up but I suspect they were looking for drugs, point being they had a good look at what they were and raised no objections.)

Just some other oddities.
If you post using Royal Mail you can insure your parcel while it's in the UK but the minute it arrives on US shores it's uninsured. I can't remember what they said about if it was in the EU or on the high seas or in the air. I lost the will to live at that point. Fortunately every thing I've sent to the USA has got their quickly and safely. Stuff sent to South America with get there quick stamps got there 3 months later and stuff we sent cheap and slow gets there in a fornight. Half of what I sent to Africa got stolen en route. I suggest Fedex et al have probably got the insurance thing covered.

The commodity code/TARIC code of 96020000 . Here's my tale of woe. I spent 6 months talking to a nice guy, a power that be, who eventually sorted me out with my commodity codes and got me a Pseudo TURN number. In theory this meant anything I was importing would be charged VAT on a computer and I would be sent the bill. The courier would deliver to me with no delay or surcharge for collecting this tax. Later I had an enquiry and contacted the powers that be and got a not so nice guy who told me my Pseudo TURN didn't exist, I shouldn't have been given one and I was talking a load of rubbish. I was so upset. You try to do the right thing then get dissed. My advice is to double check everything you are told.

[Oakdale Studios]

Thank you so much for your lengthy and informative reply.

This is just a quick reply from me and will go into more details later...............Just off to a family do in Sherwood Forest and trying to get some acorns before the Squirrels so lol

Vik

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[CountryLoveCrafts]

.... can I just add something to the mix ... our insurance policy prohibits us from shipping to the US ... I recommend you research this too. x

[Oakdale Studios]

I have put my replies in blue...

I can answer one bit of your question. Each state in the US has it's own import duties or taxes (like our VAT). It's up to your customer to pay it. Not you. So if you are feeling kind put a polite sentence/disclaimer in your terms and conditions to warn them.

Yes I heard that it's even harder to get things into different States and each will have to do their own research. I also had an unexpected Customs bill so yes, I will add it if we get that far thanks.

I'd be tempted to argue back with anyone saying it's a plant. The regulations are their to stop bugs and diseases moving from one country to another. Your acorns are so ex -plants. Anything to do with them must be dead after all the processes you put them through! Surely they are jewellery or metal ornaments. Can you dig out some exporters/importers of plated leaves and ask how they are handling it?

Yes, I took one apart yesterday, the copper hoop is screwed into the acorn and made it go black, plus it's been bleached, washed and oven roasted too, so this is an ex Parrot...sorry, acorn. I think they are described as "Trinkets" by the FDA lol. I will look into what other people are doing too.

Can I also say I'm bringing in baskets made of reeds/leaves from Peru and we have plant rules too but customs seem very happy that anything on my baskets are very dead. (My last parcel had been opened up but I suspect they were looking for drugs, point being they had a good look at what they were and raised no objections.)

Just some other oddities.
If you post using Royal Mail you can insure your parcel while it's in the UK but the minute it arrives on US shores it's uninsured. I can't remember what they said about if it was in the EU or on the high seas or in the air. I lost the will to live at that point. Fortunately every thing I've sent to the USA has got their quickly and safely. Stuff sent to South America with get there quick stamps got there 3 months later and stuff we sent cheap and slow gets there in a fornight. Half of what I sent to Africa got stolen en route. I suggest Fedex et al have probably got the insurance thing covered.

I think I will only post out in bulk to one or two of the customers I have in mind, I/we will cover it the best way we can with insurance. The people I am working with over here, might "chip in" and help with some of this (meeting this week)

The commodity code/TARIC code of 96020000 . Here's my tale of woe. I spent 6 months talking to a nice guy, a power that be, who eventually sorted me out with my commodity codes and got me a Pseudo TURN number. In theory this meant anything I was importing would be charged VAT on a computer and I would be sent the bill. The courier would deliver to me with no delay or surcharge for collecting this tax. Later I had an enquiry and contacted the powers that be and got a not so nice guy who told me my Pseudo TURN didn't exist, I shouldn't have been given one and I was talking a load of rubbish. I was so upset. You try to do the right thing then get dissed. My advice is to double check everything you are told.

I will get everything in writing before I send anything out, been done myself so I think it's important. The best thing so far out of this is that the people I am working with thought the doors are closed tight on America importing "food" but so far all I have got is Green Lights....but not without the Red tape lol.

[Oakdale Studios]

.... can I just add something to the mix ... our insurance policy prohibits us from shipping to the US ... I recommend you research this too. x

Do they say why?

[AnnieAnna]

And more in the mix. I was poking about insurance policies (try to find a cheaper one for the demo-ing part of my life) and the ones I looked at weren't banning selling to the US, just excluding covering for it.

I think it might be wise to apply a bit of commonsense maths here.
How much would it cost to lose an acorn (unless you start studding them with diamonds, of course) in transit and send the customer a replacement? Times the likelihood of it happening (eg never in 12 years in my case).
Against using Fedex or similar (who, I'm under the impression, charge more than Royal Mail because they do keep track of stuff in their care).
Against trying to find an insurer to cover that particular senario.

Food or trinket? It's worth digging out the original law/legislation and reading it.
Here was me worrying about naughty children pulling the arms and legs off my Peruvian dolls and eating them and choking when I find they are not toys, I don't need to certificate them. They are ethnic dolls and therefore ornaments.
(I hasten to add my dolls are tough little blighters. I have tried to pull their arms off, to no avail, and they are too big to slip down a naughty child's gob so I do certificate them. Oh and they are no good for starting bonfires, either, they just smoulder quietly and fizzle out.)

Chin up and think that in times of acorn famine or squirrel population bulges you'll be able to hire yourself out as a posting to the US consultant

(Just for Vik incase you think I'm bonkers. Annie is www.anniethepedlar.com who sell to the Americans and Anna is from www.littlechile.co.uk and she buys from the Americas.
That's English speak. For our cousins across the pond it's sells to the USA and buys from Latin America.)

[Oakdale Studios]

Chin up and think that in times of acorn famine or squirrel population bulges you'll be able to hire yourself out as a posting to the US consultant

Thanks for all your advice, I'm sifting through them all and compiling it all on a Word doc. (taking 2nd place for now)

Still need more acorns and leaves (although leaves can take 3rd place for now)

I am busy fighting for them with this little critter from the Ice Age lol (1st place)